The Truth is Out There--Scene 6 from XF3
by Lolabeegood

E-mail: lolabeegood@gmail.com
Distribution: Archive freely with my name attached.

Rating: R
Categories: S, R
Keywords: Mulder/Scully romance, Post-IWTB
Spoilers: IWTB
Summary:  The truth is something Mulder & Scully may have to 
pay a steep price for.

Author's Notes: 

Ever since I watched IWTB I have thought of the ideal way to start 
and storyline a third movie.  So, after much thought and 
deliberation I have a series of scenes that I have written for 
the third XF movie.  The scenes will not necessarily run right 
after each other but they are in sequence.  They are more like 
scenes I would like to see in the XF3 that develop character, tie 
loose ends, and add plot interest.  

"Go for a Soda" by Kim Mitchell is mentioned in this story
"You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi is mentioned in this story. 
"You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate is used in this story, although 
the words are altered.

I do not own the characters or the songs and I don't make any money 
from this.

Enjoy!

**********************************

Dana Scully scaled the three flights of stairs leading to the 
Science section in the library.  She wondered the whole time 
what had caused her to act so swiftly, to believe the voice in 
her head--William's voice.  She knew without a doubt that this 
boy was her son, but the scientist in her needed more.

She walked quickly and efficiently through the stacks watching the 
numbers get lower with each pass.  She rationalized that she would 
get some more information, get some tests done, assure herself that 
what she knew to be true was, in fact, true.  Instinctively she knew 
she needed to get William away from the city as quickly as possible, 
questions and answers could come later.

When she got to the early 500's she started to slow down, scared 
she would get to the right aisle and no one would be there.  When 
she saw 522 she took in a deep breath and rounded the corner.  
There sitting on the floor looking at a book with large 
illustrations was William.

"Hey" he said looking up at her.

"Hi, Wil..." she said as she approached him. 

'Call me Patrick' the voice in her head interrupted. 

"Patrick" she sighed. 

'I've been called that my whole life' the voice told her 'I know you 
really want to call me William but, my name is Patrick'.

"Okay" Scully nodded as she crouched down to be closer to him 
"Patrick". 

"Is he...?" Patrick asked about Mulder as he closed his book and re-
shelved it.

"Uh, later" she said scanning the stacks on either side of them. "We 
should get out of here, I have to get..."

'I'll stay here.  How long do you think it will take you to rent a 
car?' the voice asked. 

"30" Scully said not wanting to give away too much information in 
case someone was nearby.

"Maybe we should call...?"

'We don't need to contact my parents' the voice informed her with a 
note of sadness.

"Are you...?" she started to ask.

'Yes, I'm sure' the voice said with a note of finality.

"Okay." 

'I'll meet you outside the children's section in 30 minutes.  Just 
pull up in the car, I'll watch for you' the voice instructed.

"Okay" she said and leaned in to muss his hair.

She wanted to say more but couldn't bring herself to.  There was so 
much they needed to talk about, so much she wanted to say, so many 
questions she had to have answered.  But in the library, and out 
in the open, was not the place to have that discussion.  

'I know' the voice responded to her flustered mind. 

"Thank you" she smiled at him and got up to leave.

Scully turned once before she walked away to look at her son as he 
pulled another book from the stacks and started to open the pages.  
She would have her answers, but after her son was safe.  

She walked quickly to the phone book located at the main desk of the 
library and opened it to car rental agencies.  She scanned the pages 
for one in her vicinity.  She didn't know Chicago well and wasn't 
sure if any of these side streets listed were nearby.  

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Scully called to the librarian carrying a stack 
of books to be re-shelved past her.

"Uh, yes?" she asked as her books teetered in her hands.

"I'm trying to find a business but I'm not sure where we are.  Does 
this neighborhood go by...?"

"The Loop" the librarian interrupted tersely. "It's called the Loop."

"Thank you" she said and turned back to the phone book. 

She located a car rental agency that advertised they were in The 
Loop.  Pulling out her cell phone she made the call.

"Hi, can you tell me where you are located in The Loop neighborhood?"

She nodded absently as he gave her instructions.  She walked out of 
the library and started to head down the street.

"Yes, I'll hold" she said as she walked quickly down the street with 
the song 'Go for a Soda' playing in her ear.  The entire song was 
over before he returned to her call.

"Do you have any cars available to rent right now?" she asked as she 
swiftly walked through the crowds of people crossing at a busy 
intersection.

"I'll take whatever you have.  I want to surprise my husband with a 
car trip around Chicago while we are staying here...Yes I'll wait."

"You Give Love a Bad Name' roared in her ear as she walked through a 
small park.  Scully looked around her for street signs and continued 
to walk confidently forward. The phone crackled alive in her ear.

"A Jeep Patriot? Sounds good" she said as she rounded another 
corner. "I'll need it for 2 days." 

She waited again while the attendant pulled up his rental screen.

"My name?" she asked as she opened the door.

"It's Dana Scully" she said to the shocked attendant who was now 
looking at her face-to-face.  

She handed him her credit card and he booked the SUV for 2 days.  
She knew that she would be abandoning the car somewhere along the 
way so she bought the extra insurance just in case something 
happened to it while it was parked.  

"I hope your husband likes the car trip" the attendant smiled 
uneasily at her.

"It's a surprise" she said with a smirk. "I snuck away while he was 
working out in the hotel gym so I have to get back fast."

"Ohhh, I get it.  That's why you were in such a hurry" he suddenly 
relaxed.

"Yeah" she smiled at him.

"Well, enjoy your stay in Chicago, Mrs. Scully."

"Thank you" she said as he handed her the keys.  

She hopped in and turned it around to head back to the library.  The 
rust colored jeep was much bigger than anything she had driven in a 
long time and it took some time to get used to its turning radius.  
When Scully pulled up in front of the library 25 minutes had 
passed.  She squinted to look inside the windows but the sun was 
reflecting back at her and she couldn't see anything.  She sat 
for 3 minutes listening to horns honk at her and watch people give 
her the finger as they swerved around her big SUV.  She was just 
about to undo her seatbelt and run inside when the right back 
door opened and her son got inside.  

"I was just about to go in and get you" Scully said straining to 
look at him.

"I got caught behind some kids that were trying to steal graphic 
novels."

"They have graphic novels at the library that kids can access?"

Patrick laughed at her question as he buckled his seatbelt "No, 
they are like comics but the length of a novel.  They're not the 
kind with sex in them, or anything."

"Oh" she said smiling to herself. "Why don't you sit up front with 
me?" 

"Kids aren't supposed to sit in the front because of airbags." 

"Oh" she said looking down sadly. "I didn't know that, either."

"That's ok" he said as a horn blared behind them "we better get 
moving."

"Uh, yeah" Scully said a little distracted. 

She turned around in her seat and moved the Jeep into traffic. 

A couple minutes into their drive Patrick thought he would start 
the conversation.

"If you keep starring at me in the mirror we're going to get into 
an accident" he smiled at her in the mirror.

"Uh, sorry" Scully said as she looked away from him. "It's just 
you're Wil...I mean Patrick." 

"I am William, or, I was until my parents decided to re-name me 
Patrick, I guess they liked that better."

"Sure" she said wanting him to continue.

"You know, one time I asked my mom why I can remember being called 
William and not always Patrick, and she dropped the plate she was 
drying on the kitchen floor" he laughed. "It burst into a million 
pieces and she called my father in from watching the news."

"What happened then?" Scully asked quietly.

"They sat me down and told me I was adopted, I was about 4 at 
the time.  They told me that my mother was a single mom who couldn't 
take care of me anymore so she gave me to them.  They said I was 
the best gift they ever got."

Tears started to roll down Scully's face and she wiped them away 
so she could look at the road.

"They also said there was no way I could remember being called 
William because they changed my name to Patrick 1 week after 
they adopted me.  They said I was just a baby, but I knew I 
remembered."

"How...how did you know?" 

"I remembered you.  I remembered your voice.  I remembered the 
way you smelled.  I remembered how you would make silly faces 
at me when you were trying to get me to eat.  I remembered our 
house and crawling across the living room floor to you as you 
smiled at me and held out your arms.  I remembered it all."

Scully sniffled from the front seat.

"I started to draw pictures of you but when my mother seemed upset 
by them I stopped."

"Oh" she said as she looked back at him in the mirror again.

"Then," he started "I began to feel you."

"You what, Wil?" she shook her head "I mean Patrick."

"Around my fifth birthday, I felt you crying.  I don't know how to
describe it.  You were incredibly sad, you were hiding your pain 
and for a whole afternoon you cried and couldn't stop.  I felt 
sick because of it and my mom made me stay in bed all day because 
she thought I had the stomach flu.  I felt your sadness all 
afternoon and there was nothing I could do about it.  But, I knew 
it was you."

"I'm...I'm so sorry" she whispered from the front seat.

"What made you cry?" he asked concerned.

"Uh, a few things actually." She said wiping the tears from her 
face again and pausing to catch her breath. "It...it was almost your 
fifth birthday and I was very sad you weren't in my life anymore...
and...and I had just got a call from someone telling me that my 
mother was undergoing cancer treatment."

"Grandma used to watch me" he smiled. "Why didn't you know?" he 
asked.

"I wasn't in contact with her, or really anyone at the time, except 
your father, which was why I was crying, there was no way I could 
go to her." Scully gulped from the front seat.

"Is grandma okay?"

"She's in remission and doing great.  You shouldn't worry about her." 
Scully smiled from the front seat as she made a turn.

"Where was my dad?  Why didn't he make you feel better?" 

"He was...he was out for the afternoon building a smoke house 
near the woods on our property. I didn't want him to know how 
sad I was.  He would just feel guilty."

"A smoke house?" Patrick asked.

"Your...your father has developed some odd hobbies over the years" 
Scully smirked.

"And he's a writer?"

"Yes, a very well-known one, apparently."

"And you're still together?"

"Yes, we are" she smiled.

"Then...then why don't I remember him?" Patrick asked confused.

"He wasn't around when you were a baby.  You only knew your father 
for a few days before he had to leave us, for your safety."

"So, my mom was right, you were a single mom?"

"I guess I was.  But not by choice, your father's, or mine."

"And...and you gave...gave me up?" he asked with a crack to his 
voice.

She felt her stomach lurch.  Scully quickly pulled the Jeep to the 
side of the expressway.  She got out and bolted to the gully at the 
side of the road.  She violently vomited over and over again.  Soon, 
she felt a small hand rubbing circles on her back.  Slow, gentle 
circles.  Then she heard her own voice singing in her head again.

'I believe in miracles...where'd you come from? You cutie baby.'

She laughed at the words, forgetting she had altered that song too.

'How did you know I needed you so badly...how did you know I'd give 
my heart gladly.'

She started to wipe her mouth and smiled, "I was never good at 
making up songs so, I just...altered them." 

'Yesterday I was one of the lonely people...now you're snuggling 
next to me...I love you Willy.'

She stood up and looked into her son's beautiful face.  Tears 
filled her bloodshot eyes as he looked at her with such intensity. 
He had just asked the question she had spent the last 8 years 
trying to answer for herself.  The question she had always 
dreaded he would ask. 

"It...it was the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my 
life" she said honestly as tears rolled down her cheeks 
"because...because I loved and wanted you soo much" she said 
gently palming his face in her hand as she cried in front of 
him. "You were my miracle baby and I needed to keep you safe.  
You weren't safe as long as...as long as you were with...me."

"I know you loved me, that's...that's why it didn't make...
sense" he said with tears streaming down his face.

"I do love you, and I always will" she said as she pulled him 
toward her and held him tightly against her.

"I love you too, mom"  he choked from beneath her tight embrace 
as his arms wrapped around her waist.

***********************************

The End